scholarly journals Problems and threats to the Caucasus forest ecosystems on the example of Castanea sativa

Kosmos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Berika Beridze ◽  
Monika Dering
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Glacial Refugium ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Sweet Chestnut ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Russia ◽  
Alien Parasite

The Caucasus ecoregion is located between the Black and the Caspian Sea and extends from southern Russia, throughout Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan up to Iran. The prominent feature of the region is high biodiversity and endemism. The outstanding biological richness made the Caucasus one of the 36 global hotspots of biodiversity. The Caucasian forest is concentrated mainly in Georgia, where the most diverse forest ecosystems are found. In the Colchis forest, Tertiary relicts are present and this area formed glacial refugium for flora and fauna. However, the region and its wildlife are now under threat. Uncontrolled logging, urban and agricultural development, and climate changes bring about the great risk for many species and unique plant assemblages. The massive decline of Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut) exemplifies the problems of the alien parasite invasions and ineffective forest management and nature conservation. Biodiversity of the Caucasus is being lost at an alarming rate that calls for urgent action and intensification of investigations aiming at better understanding of the evolutionary history of the region.

The genetic diversity of the genus Mus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the eastern part of the North Caucasus

BMC Zoology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatimat Tembotova ◽  
Ekaterina Kuchinova ◽  
Albina Amshokova ◽  
Ekaretina Kononenko
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Caspian Sea ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Mt Dna ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Nucleotide Variability ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background There are two species of Mus in the Caucasus: M. musculus and M. macedonicus. M. musculus is widespread in the Caucasus, where the species is found everywhere from the Black to the Caspian Sea. M. macedonicus is ubiquitous Transcaucasia. The most north-astern border of its distribution in the Caucasus, according to the literature, is located in the Derbent region, near the border between Dagestan and Azerbaijan. Results Cytochrome b mt-DNA of genus Mus research in this study in the Eastern Caucasus. About 70% of M. musculus haplotypes from the lowlands of Dagestan were recorded for the first time. One of these haplotypes accounts for approximately 25% of the total species diversity of haplotypes. M. macedonicus was found in only one locality, the Sarykum barchans, where this species prevails in number and accounts for 70% of the total number mice of the genus Mus. The species is characterized by low values of genetic diversity and nucleotide variability, which may indicate that the population originated from a small number of founders and may explain its relative isolation from the main range. The dating of the appearance of the ancestors of M. musculus in the east of the Russian Caucasus corresponds to 99-66 thousand years ago (at a mutation rate of 3-10% per million years). Conclusion The results obtained suggest that the history of the appearance of M. musculus in the Eastern Caucasus is more ancient and is not associated with human agricultural activities. We believe that possibly the ancestral range of M. musculus covered the eastern and western coasts of the Caspian Sea in the territory of southern Dagestan, Azerbaijan, and Iran. In this paper M. macedonicus, a Balkan-Asia Minor species, was registered for the first time in the North Caucasus. This species was registered in the center of Dagestan, where it inhabits sympatrically (on the territory) and syntopically (on the same biotope) with M. musculus. The low values of genetic diversity of M. macedonicus in the North Caucasus suggest that the population originated from a small group of founders.

scholarly journals East Caucasus in the Late Eopleistocene (Calabrian): Palaeogeography and Archaeology

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-56
Author(s):  
Anton A. Anoikin
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Quaternary Period ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Archaeological Work ◽  
History Of

Purpose. The results of the archaeological work in the Caucasus in the 21st Century indicate that it has been intensively populated since the beginning of the Quaternary Period. The problems of the natural environments in the Early Pleistocene and the material culture of the early Homo are fundamental for understanding the ancient history of the Caucasus. The Late Eopleistocene (Calabrian) in the East Caucasus corresponds to the Apsheron stage of the history of the Caspian Sea (1.7–0.8 Ma). The palaeolandscape of the southeast of Eastern Europe, including the Eastern Caucasus, during this period is comparable to the modern open landscapes in Africa. Palynological data show that in the East Caucasus, the high-altitude zonation of vegetation was already present in the Apsheron; its formation was associated with the tectonic uplift of the Greater Caucasus. The wildlife is characterized by the Taman complex, indicating the adaptation of the steppe fauna to the fall of temperature and increasing humidity of the climate, as well as expansion of the forested areas. Sites of the Apsheron time have been found in several districts of the Caucasus and Ciscaucasia: Central Dagestan (Akusha group of sites), Kurinskaya Depression in Azerbaijan (Garadzha), Lori Plateau in Armenia (Muradovo, Kurtan), South-Georgian Highlands (Amiranis-Gora), Taman Peninsula (Bogatyri, Rodniki-1-4). Results. For the Calabrian, several stone industries are known in the Caucasus – Oldowan/pebble-flake, Early Palaeolithic small tool industry and Early Acheulean. The most expressive early complexes with bifaces date to the end of the Apsheron period and contain a significant number of Oldowan elements (Garadzha). Conclusion. Analysis of the natural conditions and fluctuations of the Caspian palaeobasin shows that the development of archaeological cultures in the eastern part of the Caucasus occurred during stable and favourable natural conditions, and it was of a weak evolutionary character.

Abkhazia in books published by Russian authors of the 19th century

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-91
Author(s):  
Vasiliy Sh. Avidzba ◽  
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Structure ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Analytical Review ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Russia ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Military

An analytical review of books dedicated to Abkhazia written by the 19th century Russian authors is presented in the article. Information about the history and culture of Abkhazia as well as of other regions of the Caucasus and parts of southern Russia can be found in the publications. The material under review revealed a trend of increasing interest in Abkhazia among Russian authors. If in the first half of the said century, information about Abkhazia had been published only in two books, all other books date back to the second half of the century. Their authors include the military, state officials, publicists, scientists, people of civil professions and religious figures. As a rule, they would write about the history of Abkhazia, the ethnographic and religious condition of the region; they reported on the ethnic composition of the peoples (tribes), the number, borders, monuments of Christian architecture; to a lesser extent, they paid attention to the political structure of the Abkhazian principality. Many of them wrote about the dramatic events of the 1860s and 1870s. Despite the fact that the books included in the review are not scientifically and artistically equivalent, they can serve as a significant source for the study of the history and culture of 19th-century Abkhazia as a whole.

Monitoring natural stand change in the forest reserve of Liedekerke, Flanders (Belgium)

1999 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Van den Meersschaut ◽  
B. De Cuyper ◽  
K. Vandekerkhove ◽  
N. Lust
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Alnus Glutinosa ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Stem Number ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Natural Stand ◽  
Sweet Chestnut

Natural  stand changes in the forest reserve of Liedekerke were analysed during the  period    1986-1996, using a permanent grid of circular plots. The monitoring  concentrated on natural    changes in species composition, using stem number and basal area as  indicators, and changes    in spatial distribution and colonization capacities of trees and shrubs,  with special interest in the    competition between exotic and indigenous species. After only a decade of  monitoring important    natural changes in the woody layer were detected. The pioneer forest is  gradually maturing    through self-thinning processes and shifts in species composition. The  overall stem number    decreased with 33.6%, while the basal area increased with 20.9%. Birch (Betula pendula/    pubescens) and indigenous oak (Quercus robur/petraea) remained  dominant. More tolerant    exotic species, like red oak (Quercus rubra) and sweet chestnut (Castanea  sativa), are slowly    increasing their share in the species composition and expanding their  range. Pioneer species on    the other hand, like aspen (Populus tremula), willow (Salix  capreaicinerealaurita), alder buckthorn    (Frangula alnus) and  common (Alnus glutinosa)  and grey alder (A. incana),  strongly declined.    Black cherry (Prunus serotina) seems to be slowly invading the forest due to its  massive    natural regeneration. Strong competition may be expected especially from  rowan ash (Sorbus    aucuparia), which showed similar regeneration  and colonization capacities. Elder (Sambucus    nigra) dramatically extented its range, though  its share remains marginal. Beech remained absent    most probably due to the lack of mature trees in the vacinity of the  forest. Finally this    change detection allowed that general predictions could be made on the  future natural development    and composition of this forest reserve, which could serve forest management  decisions.

scholarly journals How future-proof is Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) in a global change context?

2021 ◽  
Vol 494 ◽  
pp. 119320
Author(s):  
Marco Conedera ◽  
Patrik Krebs ◽  
Eric Gehring ◽  
Jan Wunder ◽  
Lisa Hülsmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Sweet Chestnut ◽  
Change Context

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Flower Development in Castanea Sativa Mill.

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1538
Author(s):  
Ana Teresa Alhinho ◽  
Miguel Jesus Nunes Ramos ◽  
Sofia Alves ◽  
Margarida Rocheta ◽  
Leonor Morais-Cecílio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flower Development ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Sweet Chestnut ◽  
Chestnut Tree ◽  
Abcde Model ◽  
Organ Identity ◽  
Castanea Sativa Mill ◽  
Female Flowers

The sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) is one of the most significant Mediterranean tree species, being an important natural resource for the wood and fruit industries. It is a monoecious species, presenting unisexual male catkins and bisexual catkins, with the latter having distinct male and female flowers. Despite the importance of the sweet chestnut tree, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in the determination of sexual organ identity. Thus, the study of how the different flowers of C. sativa develop is fundamental to understand the reproductive success of this species and the impact of flower phenology on its productivity. In this study, a C. sativa de novo transcriptome was assembled and the homologous genes to those of the ABCDE model for floral organ identity were identified. Expression analysis showed that the C. sativa B- and C-class genes are differentially expressed in the male flowers and female flowers. Yeast two-hybrid analysis also suggested that changes in the canonical ABCDE protein–protein interactions may underlie the mechanisms necessary to the development of separate male and female flowers, as reported for the monoecious Fagaceae Quercus suber. The results here depicted constitute a step towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in unisexual flower development in C. sativa, also suggesting that the ABCDE model for flower organ identity may be molecularly conserved in the predominantly monoecious Fagaceae family.

The Preparation of a Bio-Bibliographical Survey of Persian Literature

1972 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-186
Author(s):  
Yu. E Borshchevsky ◽  
Yu. E. Bregel
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Late Development ◽  
Persian Literature ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Iranian Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bibliographical Survey ◽  
Eastern Turkestan ◽  
History Of Literature ◽  
Source Materials

The history of literature in Persian has not been sufficiently studied although it is almost twelve centuries old, and was at times in widespread use in Afghanistan, Eastern Turkestan, India, Turkey and the Caucasus, as well as in Iran and Central Asia. The comparatively late development of Iranian studies and the condition of source materials are to blame for this situation.

Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi. [Distribution map].

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
New South ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Sweet Chestnut ◽  
South Wales ◽  
New Distribution ◽  
Distribution In Europe ◽  
Gnomoniopsis Smithogilvyi

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi Shuttleworth, Liew and Guest. Sordariomycetes: Diaporthales. Hosts: sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) and other chestnut species. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Europe (France, Greece, Italy, mainland Italy, Sardinia, Slovenia, Spain Switzerland, UK, England and Wales), Asia (India, Jammu and Kashmir), Oceania (Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, New Zealand).

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